Having worked around financial crimes for a number of years, I noticed they seemed to be on the rise.
One reason for this is technology, which grows more rapidly than laws designed to protect us from it.
Although the blog is a resource to educate people on identity theft, it also strives to educate the common person on the rapidly growing problem of crimes enabled (made too easy) by technology and the Internet.

Monday, June 26, 2006

I got this e-mail today inviting me to make $5,000.00 a month (minimum) working a couple of hours a day. Of course, I need to use my own bank account - which will be drained of all it's funds - when the bank discovers the transactions are fraud. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't.

Welcome to the "Check Cashing Scam," that organized fraud gangs are using to recruit people to take all the risks - while they collect all the "real money" via Western Union, or MoneyGram.

In reality, the people who do this, are being conned into laundering fraudulent transactions - mostly from auction sites - such as eBay.

Recently, we saw Australian teenagers and a Better Business Worker get caught up in this scam. Please note that the some of the Australian teenagers are facing charges - which can be another "nasty" side-effect of getting involved in this activity.

Here is an example of one of the come-on letters (note the reference to identity theft at the bottom):

The job we are offering requires only two hours per day during which you will check your e-mail and go to your bank. You will be given a position of representative within our company which means that you will be a collaborator and not an actual employee. There is no experience required; only the knowledge of using an e-mail account and a bank account. It does not matter if you already have a job or not if you have two hours to spare each working day.

What is required of you in order to be eligible for this job:

- Honesty, responsibility and dedication to this new line of work;- An existing active bank account that you will use to cash money orders and checks (no information is required about your bank account);

- Access to the internet and a small amount of free time every day in order to check your e-mail twice per day (once in the morning and again in the evening).What we offer during this job:

- Flexible working time: you chose what hours you want to work;- Working at home: you only need to check your e-mail and make trips to your bank;- Professional support via e-mail;- No selling involved no kit to buy, we will not charge you anything, and you will not handle any merchandise;

- Minimum pay: $5,500 (from commissions and a $900 monthly salary);- Commission: 10% off of every money order/check that you cash, instantly money in hand that you will deduct from the cashed amount. If you receive a check of $1,000.00 your net income is $100.00, our company supports any fees. You can receive a maximum of 3 checks/money orders per day which will earn you between $300 and $900 cash in hand each day.

If you are interested our staff will send detailed information about the contract which you must sign in order to get started. We reserve the right to keep you on probation for the first month, meaning that we will decide at the end of the first month whether you will be a permanent employee or not.

It is very important for us to know how willing you are to work for our company. Also, we are keen to know about your skills in contacting other people and above all we are looking for candidates that are ready to work and seek to self improve all the time. Our company just started this program and we need personnel loyal to our company and our program. We believe that we represent an excellent opportunity for everybody, a chance to start a new career without much knowledge but with great perspectives. Even if you are not willing to grow with our company this still remains an excellent opportunity for those who need a temporary or a secondary job.

We are confident that you will make the right decision and hope to hear from you soon.

IMPORTANT:

-You must be over 21 years old.-You need to live in U.S.A. (legal residents and immigrants can also apply) and have an active bank account.

If you meet these conditions please contact us by replying at this e-mail address to receive the contract and detailed information about this job.

We will never ask you for bank name, bank account number, routing number, credit card, passwords, ssn number etc. If anyone asks for those on our behalf please do not give out this info. This is to ensure that you will not be the victim of an identity theft case.

13 comments:

Thanks for this. I'm a bit desperate for work....so much so that I almost considered responding asking for more information. (Don't know what I was thinking....when you get hungry you see things differently.) Anyhow, I definitely appreciate your posting, as it kept me from some additional heartache.

I have just deposited money orders in my account today and now I am scared as to what will happen 2 me. I did not knowingly do this .I just needed some extra money to pay bills. I have all of the info I was emailed and have the money order receipts. I am scared, now that I have looked at various scams and don't know what to do. help please.....

I just busted this guy trying to do this to me as well. I even got the check this morning. I called the bank it was issued from to see if by chance it was real and THE BANK told me it was fake! I told the guy running this scam and he said he would call the FBI on me for "playing games"??? I sometimes forget that there are real mean and cruel people in the world and this was just a reminder. It saddens me!

This post was great. I have been burned by a money wiring scam before and have since been very leery of things that seem too good to be true. Making this information available and shareing these experiences have helped me to avoid making another costly mistake. Thank You.

I think I might be emailing someone who is trying to scan me but am not sure as of yet. Is there some way you can check to see if a cashier's check is as good as cash? How do scammers receive money if they are sending you checks?

E-mail :Hello,Good to hear from you and how are you doing today? Hope you are doing good, It is the 21st century, and the business industry is becoming more demanding by the second. Business owners need to be flexible,present, and accommodating to the needs of their customers, clients and partners.In order to meet these demands, the business owner must double book their calendar; extend their normal business hours, while trying to squeeze in time to do all of the administrative duties. So this is the major reason why I need a reliable and sincere assistant, to enable me achieve and give the best to my business..All you need to do for me is to get payments from my clients in the states, you will also have to make payments to my partners when necessary. These are the lists of my partners around the world;................................................

I will let you know if there is any updates you need to know and also let me have your full name, phone number and your full postal address as some of my clients are ready to make their payments. Will you be able to cash bank checks?Best Regards.Terry+44 7035928769

Sounds like we're all in the same boat, I almost got sucked into this scam this week because both myself and my husband lost our jobs. Last email asked me if I was able to cash checks and that was the clincher for me. Emails are coming from a guy in the UK which really made me suspicious. People out there using the poor economy to pray on us like vultures, I hope they get caught.

Thank you all for your comments. My wife was looking for a job and she almost fell for this scam. The e-mails she received were identical to the ones posted (word for word). I hope these people get caught for scamming hard working folks.

Job Summary:Someone who can manage our US business until we will be able to open offices over there. Should be dynamic and open for ideas and suggestions. Exposure and knowledge of working in Internet savvy environment is a prerequisite for the job. Strong communication, are must.Job Description: All details about this can be found at: http://www.real-graphic.com/acc_payable.html